ALLEAALL EuropeanAcademies

(1)

International AEMASE Conference on Science Education

Conference Report

prepared by

ALLEA

(2)

International AEMASE Conference on Science Education

Conference Report

prepared by

Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei

All European Academies (ALLEA)

(3)

This document details the proceedings of the

INTERNATIONAL AEMASE CONFERENCE ON SCIENCE EDUCATION Rome, 19 - 20 May 2014.

Chair of the Conference:

Lamberto Maffei, President of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Italy Organising Committee:

Mostapha Bousmina, Académie Hassan II des sciences et techniques, Morocco Hoda Elmikaty, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt

Odile Macchi, Académie des sciences de l’Institut de France Giancarlo Vecchio, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Italy

Ahmadou Wague, Académie Nationale des Sciences et Techniques du Sénégal Venue of the Conference:

Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei Palazzo Corsini

Via della Lungara 10

Conference website: www.lincei.it/convegni/AEMASE

Thanks and appreciation are due to the following organisations for generously co-sponsoring this Conference:

ALLEA

A L L Eu r o p e a n Ac a d e m i e s

Académie Hassan II des Sciences et Techniques

and to the following organisations for their valuable support:

Norma Sbarbati Nudelman: IANAS SEP and the “HaCE” Programme 51 Anna Pascucci et. al.: The Programme “Scientiam Inquirendo Discere” (SID) 54 Shelley Peers: Primary Connections: Linking Science with Literacy 57 Marieke Peeters & Carl Figdor: Dutch Science Education Hubs: Collaborations between the Academy, Universities, and Primary and Secondary Education

59

(4)

Hannu Salmi: Bridging the Gap between Formal Education and Informal Learning via Science Centre Pedagogy

65 Abdoulaye Samb: Renouveau de l’Enseignement des Sciences et de la

Technologie au Sénégal 68

Abdoulaye Samb: Diagnosis of Science and Technology Education in Senegal 70 Mario Stefanini et. al.: Crafting a Health Science Education Programme for Primary Schools in Italy

72

Moneef R. Zou’bi: Science Education: A Key Activity of Academies of Sciences, including the IAS

76

International Collaborations 81

Benő Csapó: Assessing the Outcomes of Inquiry-Based Science Learning 81 Hoda Elmikaty: The PAN-African Network of Science Centres (PANS) 84

Núria Jové: The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) 87

Jackie Olang: Science Education and the Network of African Science Academies (NASAC)

89

Guillermo Fernandez & Claudia Robles: International Cooperation as a Key Pillar in IBSE Implementation Strategies: The Case of Mexico

92

Petra Skiebe-Corrette: The European Fibonacci Project: Lessons Learned from International Collaborations

95

Concluding Remarks 97

List of Abbreviations 99

Conference Co-Sponsors and Partner Organisations 102

Contact Information 106

Imprint 108

Table of Contents

Foreword

This two-day conference concentrated on science education, a priority in today’s society. We seek to improve science education at the elementary school level. We want to provide resources and training to science teachers and enhance student learning through an inquiry-based approach. Providing an adequate science education to the very young means providing an education that teaches children to reason, to reason logically, and grow up to become active rather than passive citizens. To summarise its importance in a few short words, science education is a positive step to ensure democracy and freedom.

The Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei is very active in science education programmes, particularly in primary and secondary schools, in many parts of Italy.

With the support of our Academy Fel- lows, mathematics and experimental science are taught using the Inquiry- Based Science Education approach. These programmes have been very successful and far exceeded our expectations. We hope this conference will help bring the hands- on approach towards studying science to schools all over the world.

I am honoured to have chaired this Inter- national Conference on Science Educati- on, which has brought together participants from more than 30 countries across five continents. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Conference Organising Committee, particularly the

Co-Chairs, Odile Macchi and Giancarlo Vecchio. They were the mind and motor behind this confe rence and without their continued efforts and enthusiasm this conference would not have been possible. I also wish to thank our Academy’s Fo- reign Relations Office for the tremendous amount of work and skill which went into the international organisation of this meeting.

I would like to conclude by thanking most warmly all of the participants for coming to this important event. Your expertise, knowledge and ideas were and still are very valuable and needed. Lastly, I wish all the readers of this report a fruitful and informative reading experience.

Professor Lamberto Maffei

President, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei

Rome, 19 May 2014

(5)

Conference Participants at the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei Photo courtesy of Professor Benö Csapó

Preface

In our respective capacities as President of NASAC, the Network of African Acade- mies of Sciences and President of ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, it is our plea- sure to preface this first AEMASE Confe- rence Report with a few brief remarks.

We would first like to express our warm thanks to the members of the Organising Committee, who were instrumental in preparing this meeting on the wonderful premises of the world’s oldest Academy of Sciences, the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei. When we look at the impressive list of institutions and associations involved in organising and supporting this Conference, as well as AEMASE’s Medi- terranean regional focus, it is clear that the Accademia was the perfect venue for this first meeting, since this Academy takes a very active part in many of the manifold efforts and engagements of the different networks which have assembled at this Conference.

In Science Education you have two words:

Science and Education. If among the objectives of science is to understand nature and to interact with it for the well- being of the humankind, the objective of this meeting was rather related to the methods and approaches of science. This is because science has its own language, its own methods and approaches that are very rigorous and precise and to the best of our knowledge there is no other political, ideological, theological or any kind

of message that could be equivalent to or stronger than the message of science.

Why is that? Because rigorously spea- king, science is in its essence rational, its concepts are general, and it is impartial.

It does not depend on any external influ- ence, such as religion, politics, ideology or superstition. It depends neither on the person who is dealing with the scientific matter nor on his or her origin, color or gender.

The second term in Science Education is Education. Of course, among the objectives of education is to train alumni and students to acquire certain knowledge and teach them how to use such knowledge in their future career. But beyond this technical training, the most important objective of education is to help achieve a better society with citizens who are respectful to humankind as well as nature. To reach such a goal, one has to acquire scientific methods that are based on fundamental pillars such rationality, scepticism and a critical attitude towards any message could it be narrative or explanatory. And when such rationality is absent, you see radical behaviours, such as the recent events in Nige- ria, with Buku Haran. Those people who kidnapped the girls in Nigeria do strongly believe that they did so rightly, because rationality was absent in their education.

Their minds were infected because they did not acquire the necessary knowledge and tools to be protected against external influences. As a less violent example,

(6)

Because curiosity and scientific interest are already present during the first years of childhood, the issue is not to instill these elements in young people, but rather to maintain and preserve them.

The inclusiveness of this conference en- abled a joint dialogue and invited us to take a look beyond our own spheres, re- vealing different views and perspectives.

Working together offers great opportunities for synergies and added value, and it is useful for avoiding the duplication of efforts. We hope that this meeting can help establish contacts that will become opportunities for international twinnings and collaborations, so that the resources and expertise in Science Education can be exchanged in a concrete and reciprocally beneficial way.

Professor Mostapha Bousmina President of NASAC

Professor Günter Stock President of ALLEA many people around the world refuse to

take medicines of any kind due to their non-rational beliefs.

These are two among many examples of why science education is so valuable for societies. But it is crucial for govern ments to understand this importance, too. In Europe, for example, the European Com- mission is working to build a European Research Area (ERA) to promote Eu rope- wide research and innovation. But one pre-condition to the construction of the ERA has not been properly dealt with:

how can we build a European Re search Area if we do not, at the same time, think of a European education area? An education area in which we try to offer the best possible opportunities for children and young people to be educated and trained according to their individual potential and needs. Our responsibility is to offer fora and possibilities where we show our young people how exciting it is to acquire new knowledge, to apply new knowledge and to communicate about new knowledge.

This is of course not only true for the Eu- ropean continent. If Europe and Africa intensify their cooperation in the field of research, it is paramount that we develop a joint strategy to support the education of our young people, especially in those fields such as mathematics, informatics, natural sciences and engineering, which are particularly critical for increasing the innovation potential of many societies.

Preface

The AEMASE Conference is an initiative of several academies and institutions aimed at promoting science education and science outreach to society in a geo- graphically North-South region centred on the Mediterranean Sea. This region shares strong and ancient scientific and political links. The event was organised by the Académie Hassan II des Sciences et Techniques of Morocco, the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei of Italy, the Académie Nationale des Sciences et Techniques du Sénégal, the Académie des Sciences de l’Institut de France, and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt. The Conference was made possible through the generous support of IAP, the global network of science academies; the Compagnia di San Paolo;

All European Academies; and both the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei and the Académie des Sciences.

In developed countries, science education is currently viewed as inadequate, with a decline of student interest in scientific careers. This risks lowering the level of in- dustrial innovation and imperilling these countries’ economic future and sustained social welfare. A sound science education system is also critical in developing countries because it efficiently speeds up development, economic growth, and the improvement of human welfare. Champi- oning formal and informal science education and fostering the scientific literacy of citizens are thus crucial for all countries.

Primary and secondary school education is particularly important, since these le-

Conference Background and Objectives

vels involve huge numbers of pupils and most citizens receive their basic cultural education there. Thus, in many nations in this North-South region, science education is calling for attention.

In many of the countries represented at this Conference, programmes for renew- ing science education, based on the Inquiry-Based Science Education (IBSE) pedagogical method, have already been developed. One example is the French project La main à la pâte (LAMAP). In- deed, many successful programmes funded in the European Framework Pro- grammes 6 or 7 (FP6/FP7) have put an emphasis on IBSE.

However, the current economic crisis slows down the national upscaling necessary for IBSE teacher training and professional development. This is indeed a cost- ly and challenging task which demands strong commitment, pro-active efforts and voluntary interaction from three professional worlds: scientists, experts in the training of science teachers, and education policymakers. The presence at this Conference of many high representatives from Ministries of Education is a very en- couraging fact. No matter which country or professional background, scientific or administrative, the participants of this Conference share the hope of increasing the potential to empower a partnership between the scientific world (e.g. Science Academies) on one hand and Ministries of Education on the other hand, with a

(7)

common objective of improving formal and informal science education through the implementation of IBSE in schools and promoting the professional development of teachers of science.

The organisers of this Conference are strongly convinced that the exchange of regional or national experiences will enrich both Northern and Southern countries: when faced with a difficult chal lenge, exchanging good ideas and know-how, as well as projects and experiences, is not only joyful but also fruitful. In fact, a major goal of the AEMASE Conference is to disseminate the know- how that was gained at the meeting as a place for peer-to-peer sharing of the best practices and pooling resources for teachers’ professional development.

Through mixing participants from the North and the South in the Conference sessions, direct interaction and proactive behaviour was highly encouraged.

Furthermore, the Conference aims to prepare and facilitate the establishment of future multilateral international partnerships and twinnings, either on IBSE projects or on informal science education. With this objective, the Conference folders included feedback forms through which each delegation could report those specific aspects of science education in another country with whom they would like to interact. This allowed the merging of participants with similar objectives and maximised the chance of potential

further collaborations. The organisers hope that contacts thus voluntarily established between countries during the Con- ference will eventually become twinnings and collaborations, so that the available resources and expertise in IBSE and informal science education can be exchanged in a concrete field manner. Finally, the Conference seeks to facilitate the launch of pilot projects inspired by the FP6 and FP7 European projects by supporting applications for funding by international institutions concerned with education.

Professor Odile Macchi

Professor Giancarlo Vecchio

Co-Chairs of the AEMASE Conference Or- ganising Committee

Conference Background and Objectives

Keynote Lecture

revolution requires continuous engagement of the scientists and the engineers and requires the openness of the schools to their local environment and communi- ties.

In the last decade, a wealth of pilot projects dealing with educational challenges have flourished. Often at a small scale, they nevertheless explored the principles of the required pedagogical revolution.

Pilot projects mobilised thousands of teachers and scientists in different countries, commonly with important contri- butions from science academies, which are more able to address political and education authorities. In most of these cases, science academies have been either leading the change or have been at least involved, as in the recent 2012 study carried in Europe with ALLEA, or in the action of IAP worldwide with its science education programme.

A consensus was established among these projects on a need for an inquiry pedagogy. A notion that has now been analysed in depth. If so many pilot projects in such a diversity of countries can agree on this line of action, it is certainly due to the universality of science, as well as to the universality of children’s curiosity during their golden age of inquisitive minds (approximately 6–12 year olds).

The challenge here is to harmoniously combine these universal factors with the precious diversity in culture, language and education systems. With overwhel- Science Education in Schools:

A Challenge for Academies and Scientists

Professor Pierre Léna Fondation La main à la pâte, France Learning to read, write and count has been a challenge for basic education in many countries during the twentieth century. To face the twenty-first century problems, young people need to be able to reason properly; a new challenge that science education needs to address. The evolution of humanity on planet Earth renders the educational challenge even more pressing. No more “business as usual” when facing climate change; bio- diversity threats; or huge human migra- tions with forced labor. The “school as usual” approach will not be sufficient to prepare youth for the complex situations which they are foreseen to address by the middle of this century. The grounds for action are twofold: sharing the role science plays in today’s culture through education and with equity on one hand, and providing the required skills and tools for development on the other. However, the challenges are severe: to begin at an early age (6–12 year olds); to teach real and interesting yet easy science; and to address all students, regardless of their future professional inclinations, whether boys or girls.

Achieving the desired goal does need a profound pedagogical revolution. This

(8)

ming evidence, the major challenge is teacher’s preparation and professional development and their proper exposure to lively, authentic science and engineering in an interdisciplinary spirit. To properly develop an inquiry pedagogy, pilot projects show that primary school teachers require several years of continuous professional development, which in turn entails a significant cost.

What is the real impact of these pilot projects on development issues such as the qualifications of the work force, the role of technology in modern societies, the resilience of cultures and traditions to the uniform model of globalisation, and sustainable development? Do we have clear proof of their impact, or is it an act of faith to believe in the role of science education in helping the development of a society?

In 2015, the publication of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals will show the approach that education should pursue. It will be an added challenge to the current classical inquiry approach to consider how to best utilise the new pedagogy to better understand the goals and to apply it to the youth.

After the success and the lessons of these pilot projects, time has come to consider large-scale expansion, in order to expose the tens of millions of children who deserve sound science education to the new techniques and to empower them

with the necessary tools to deal with the problems of the future. How should one proceed with this second, but extremely difficult step of the revolution? Placing teachers and scientists in organised and long-term contact is one direction, which has been successfully explored in the UK with the National Science Learning Cen- tres since 2006, and in France with the Maisons pour la science au service des professeurs since 2012. In Africa, although with a different scope, the several Afri- can Institutes for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) organise a high value transnational training for graduates. Overall, the issue remains open and will deserve vigorous effort and creativity in the coming years.

The combination of teacher’s distance professional development, using online and new interactive methods such as Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs), and the necessary campus- based training in disseminated centers over large terri- tories such as Africa or Brazil, is probably the best way to proceed but will need the local support of scientists, engineers and science/engineering students.

These measures for carrying out an effective revolution in science education will probably remain of modest impact if, in many countries, the social status and the salary of teachers in basic education are not raised.

We would like to formulate here an ad- ditional and ambitious proposal. In 1980, Pakistani physicist Abdus Salam, having Keynote Lecture

This proposal is based on a twenty-year experience of inquiry-based pilot projects: it is well demonstrated now that the involvement of scientists of high calibre is crucial to the pilot projects, which in turn prefigures the need for a pedagogical revolution. Would a country or an organisation consider, as a worthwhile goal, the undertaking of the establishment of such a permanent Center and allocate the adequate resources?

won the Nobel prize in 1979, decided to create a place where the physics students (mostly postdocs, some PhDs, and also senior scientists) coming from developing countries would have the opportunity to meet the greatest scientists of the time and to be exposed to lectures during residential retreats of reasonable duration.

The Italian government had the generosi- ty to financially support the initiative and the International Center for Theoretical Physics that was created in Trieste. For the last three decades, this Center has played a fundamental role in helping scientific research—not only physics—

to begin and develop in many countries otherwise condemned to remain absent from the science scene and to see their talents brain drained by the developed ones.

The proposal is to create a similar venue today, which will be devoted to science education, where teacher’s trainers and scientists of high repute and interest for inquiry development from all over the world would meet, discuss models, ela- borate tools, exchange resources, and develop strategies. Above all, scientific and engineering contents and processes would be exchanged in an organised and interdisciplinary manner. Internet and distance cooperation would follow the direct exchanges, in order for each par- ticipant to benefit from a post- retreat follow-up. The Internet would indeed facilitate the work.

Keynote Lecture

(9)

Participants share their experiences during one of the Conference sessions.

Photo courtesy of Professor Benö Csapó

National Projects

¹

Subject-specific Continuing Professional Development (CPD): the Role of Science

Learning Centres Professor Derek Bell College of Teachers, UK, Member of IAP Global SEP Council Abstract

This paper outlines the case for subject-specific CPD and describes the development in the UK of the network of Science Learning Centres. This overview highlights the key elements of the initiative, its evolution and the challenges it has had to overcome in the last 10 years.

Introduction

The discovery of new knowledge and understanding in science continues to acce- lerate and the social and ethical context of science is more significant than ever before. Not only is there a demand for high class scientists and engineers, but also there is an increasing requirement for individuals who may not be working in the scientific arena but, nevertheless, need the skills to contribute to a technologically advanced society. These demands place a big responsibility on science educators who in turn need to be up to date with the new developments in

1 The following section encompasses a selection of the information presented at the Conference during numerous oral presentation and poster presentation sessions attended by the participants.

When possible, graphical data from the original presentations have been included.

science and ways of equipping students with the basic scientific knowledge for their chosen careers and future lives.

Against this background, subject-specific continuing professional development (CPD) is particularly important for science teachers.

Following publication of SET for Success (Roberts: 2002), the UK put in place a series of measures designed to engage more young people with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The wide range of activities aimed to inspire young people through the awe and wonder of science; the potential of technology and engineering to provide solutions to challenges facing the world today; and to improve awareness of careers available to them. Central to the initiatives was the establishment of a network of Science Learning Centres to provide high quality, subject-specific CPD for science teachers and technicians. The underlying premise being that it is the standard of teachers and the teaching they provide that is the key to high quality education for all young people.

Highly accomplished teachers who are effective require an immense range of knowledge and skills. Although some of these qualities are generic, teachers also need to have: enthusiasm for their subject, understanding of their subject, knowledge of the curriculum to be taught, and the ability to communicate their subject in a way that learners will

(10)

National Projects National Projects

undertaking but the network has succee- ded in doing so for over 20,000 teachers in both primary and secondary schools across England and, through the National Centre, in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. However, there are underlying challenges that needed to be addressed in order to bring about a change in attitudes, behaviour and culture in relation to professional development:

1) Many teachers need to be convinced. In a study carried out by the Wellcome Trust (2006) it was found that 12% of teachers surveyed were dubious about the benefits of CPD which they saw as focussed on government initiatives rather than their own professional needs and 33% might agree that CPD was important in principle, but doubted its quality or relevance. The com- bined 55% all needed convincing that future CPD would deliver something of value.

2) Teachers and schools need funding support to cover the cost of the training and to replace the teachers while they are on their courses. This was addressed by establishing Project Enthuse, a partnership between the government, Wellcome Trust and industry partners, which provides bur- saries for teachers to attend courses at the national centre. Since introducing these in 2008 over 10,000 teachers in 72% of English secondary schools have benefitted.

3) Teachers also need access to high quality teaching resources. The National STEM Resource Centre, co-located with understand. Importantly, such teachers

must keep up to date with developments not only in subject content but also with the associated pedagogy. The vision for the network of Science Learning Centres was to make this possible for science teachers.

The network consists of a national centre and nine regional centres. The National Science Learning Centre, funded by the Wellcome Trust, is based at the University of York in a new specially designed building to include teaching rooms, laboratories, resource base and hotel standard accommodation for residential courses.

It is run by MyScience.co Ltd. and jointly owned by the Universities of York, Leeds, Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam. It opened in 2005.

The regional centres, which were funded by the government department of education, opened in 2004. Seven were based in universities (Manchester Metropolitan, Sheffield Hallam, Keele, Leicester, Hert- fordshire, Southampton, and Institute of Education London) one at Framwellgate High School Durham and one in the interactive science centre At-Bristol. The re gional centres focussed on non-residential courses while the National Centre provided residential courses.

Overall, the network of science learning centres is seen as a success story. Desig- ning, organising and delivering courses for teachers on a national scale is big

National Science Learning Centre, was set up in 2009 to provide easy, free of charge access to high-quality resources, information and guidance to support teachers in enhancing young people’s engagement with STEM subjects. Its e-library has 8,000 assets and the physical collection is in excess of 25,000 items.

4) The model for such networks has to evolve in order to keep up with changes in the education environment. Thus in 2013 the network of science learning centres took on a new structure which had only five “regional centres” each of which has established science CPD hubs in schools operating at a much more local level.

These new Science Learning Partnerships aim to increase CPD expertise more directly in schools so that programmes are more sustainable and that attitudes and behaviours are embedded in the culture of the profession more widely.

Despite the challenges, the success of the network of science learning centres is being demonstrated through its own evaluation work which shows an increasing body of evidence of the positive impact on teachers, schools and ultimately young people. For example, teachers report increased confidence, enhanced subject knowledge and career progres- sion. Schools show increased uptake of STEM subjects post-16. Young people ap- pear to be improving their achievements in STEM, more likely to continue their stu- dies in STEM and have a better understan-

ding of where STEM can take you in terms of careers. These findings are backed up by national data (e.g. NAO 2010).

Without doubt much has been a chieved, but there is still a long way to go. In a changing education landscape STEM must be kept high on the agenda and its role as an essential part of a balanced education must be enhanced for all stu- dents, not just those who will become the scientists, mathematicians, technologists and engineers of the future.

References:

NAO (National Audit Office), 2010. Educating the next generation of scientists. London: The Stationery Office.

Roberts, G. 2002. SET for success: The supply of people with science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills. Available at url: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.

gov.uk/+/http:/www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/

robertsreview_introch1.pdf (last accessed 29 June 2014)

Wellcome Trust, 2006. Believers, Seekers and Sceptics: What teachers think about continuing professional development: Briefing report. Available at url: http://www.wellcome.

ac.uk/About-us/Publications/Reports/

Education/Believers-Seekers-and-Sceptics/

index.htm (last accessed 29 June 2014)

(11)

Website links:

Science Learning Centres: https://www.

sciencelearningcentres.org.uk/

Project Enthuse: https://www.

sciencelearningcentres.org.uk/about/

partners/project-enthuse/

National STEM Centre: http://www.

nationalstemcentre.org.uk/

The “Microsoft” is an example as to how this challenge is overcome. Unfortu- nately, in our schools today, the teachers’

knowledge on new technologies is still poor. Students have better skills in informatics than the majority of teachers. The introduction of new technology in schools requires broader knowledge and skills, as well as creativity by teachers.

This project focusses on the teachers’

training and their certification. We have to focus on the real needs of the job market. Therefore, the identification of the new talents in students since the secondary school and the strengthening of their skills through incentives as well as their capacity building are of paramount importance. To achieve this, creative and qualitative teachers are needed. It is not enough to discover new talents and teach students, but also to train teachers and equip them with appropriate instruments and mechanisms to increase the potential in Albania.

Science in education is the right way to respond to this situation. A national conference was held in Tirana to present the project on the “Integration of the ITC in the subjects of grades 1-9 of compul- sory school”. A CD was also developed that includes new dimensions for a con- temporary teaching in Primary School (grades 1-5) and model classes in Mathe- matics-Physics.

Science in Education Projects in Albania Professors G. Beqiraj, S. Bushati

Academy of Sciences of Albania Y. Spahiu

Institute of Education Development, Ministry of Education and Sports

B. Karanxha

Independent consultant for education In the framework of Science Education in Albania, there are involved the Ministry of Education and Sport (MoES), the Institute of Development of Education (IDE), other educational institutions, universities, research institutions and centres, acade- mia, etc. Our partners are also parents and local businesses. Numerous projects have been carried out or are ongoing in different fields of science: as ICT, Biology, Mathematics, Physics, etc. Pre-university subject-based curricula are also being upgraded in competency-based curricula, among others.

I. Integration of the Information and Com- munication Technology (ICT) in the sub- jects of grades 1-9 of compulsory school in Albania

The results of technological developments which would have been inconcei- vable 20-30 years ago are today inevitable in our everyday professional and private lives. Beyond the entertaining dimension, the innovation of the ICT represents challenges for the new generations, including teachers.

(12)

II. On the safety of children using the In- ternet

The use of the internet offers unlimited information. It brings knowledge, is entertaining and informative on everything happening in real time near, or far. From the other side, as with any free and po- werful mechanism serving the needs and requirements of the public, we often face dark aspects, which certain indivi duals might use for evil-minded goals which may include harming children.

According to the World Vision investigation in Albanian schools, 85% of children have access to the internet, many PCs are in their bedrooms, 62% of interviewed children have confirmed that they have come across pornographic networks more than once, and 47% of interviewed children confirm that they have been contacted by foreigners and that this has happened more than once.

During the survey, children are able to re- commend how to sensitise them to internet safety. Children have pointed out the needs for awareness campaigns, training, the use of free hours, or classes devoted to the information-awareness, specific meetings in the schools, a joint pro gramme with twinned foreign schools, and the coordination with the local and central government for making safe browsing possible in private internet centres. The guarantee of the safe internet for children remains among the MoES priorities.

The internet navigation safety for the students and its management are part of the MoES Protocols that foresee conditions for private internet companies.

In the frame work of the national project

“School as Community Centers – Friendly Schools for All”, the schools are expected to cooperate more closely with the community and parents, who exchange opinions on the safety issues of their children using the internet and suggest training topics, etc. The MoES in cooperation with the local universities is foreseen to organise ITC practices for students in compulsory schools, so that they can not only con tribute, but also gain experience, which is useful for the job market.

Community parents with relevant ITC knowledge and skills are expected to contribute as partners in this ambitious programme. In the framework of the project: “On the safety of children using internet”, a National Conference organised by the MoES and “Microsoft”, was held in Tirana. To that purpose, the following have been realised: 1) a study on the con- temporary experiences on the safety of children using internet; 2) an elaboration of literature concerning the issue; 3) the compilation of the draft-brochure “On the safety of children using internet”; 4) the preparation of the module: “On the safety measures for children using internet”;

5) the promotion of this brochure at a Na- tional Conference focussing on the topic

“On the safety of children using internet”.

Besides the use of tablets in the teaching-learning process, this project also points to the need for the necessary im- provements at the pre-university curricula at national scale, and the training of teachers.

III. A school that uses tablets: The future learning of the new generation in Albania This project is implemented by the MoES and aims to introduce a new technology in the pre-university education in Alba- nia. This is a new initiative for a radical change of the teaching process from the technological point of view. “Infosoft”

and “Microsoft” have donated tablets in some pilot schools. Other donors offered also their experiences in different teaching-learning fields.

The MoES will cooperate with curricula expert universities under the continuous direction of IDE that will monitor the teaching-learning efficiency after the introduction of these new IT methods.

The goal is to test the introduction of this method in 110 schools initially, by facilitating the electronic communica tion among teachers and students, as well as the exchange of information with the community, learn from it and extend the experience later on a national scale.

IV. The Competency-Based Curricula Re- form in Albania

The MoES and IED are working on “The Competency-Based Curricula Reform in Albania”. The science-subject-based curriculum is being reformed covering preschool (3-6 years), primary (grades 1-5), lower secondary (grades 6-9), and upper secondary (grades 6-9).

A society that is based on knowledge and on information technology requires people with appropriate skills. In this context, the new conception of the Compe- tency-Based Curricula must be the main focus of the education (Skilbeck, 1990).

Based on the above, the new competency-based reform aims at developing opportunities to allow interaction of students, teachers and technologies of all kinds. The school and education must be thoroughly reformed in order to permit the application of the new Competen- cy-Based Curricula.

Surveys show the link among the motivation, attitudes and self esteem with the achievements and career choices. The motivation to learn mathematics and science is important not only from the school performance aspect, but also from the role that it has in relevant professions for the economy.

In Albania and in some other European countries, there is a concern for the low

(13)

learning achievements in mathematics and science-technology Subjects. This fact also affects the low performance of these subject teachers in the Teaching Univer- sities. Recent policy change supported by the new “Normative Provi sions” in curricula also include the “reinforcing classes” in support of the students with low learning achievements in science, mathematics, etc.

Some key reform objectives are: reformation of the “Curricula Package”; development of the pre-service teacher quali- fication; development of information technology and didactic material; reformation of the student assessment; trans- formation of the school into a democratic and community place that in cites the formation of the core competencies (as in- terpersonal, intercultural, civic, intrapre- neurship, capacity to transform the ideas into actions, inter-cultural understanding, etc.).

The whole curricula reformation process will be accomplished in close coopera tion with Kosovo. A “historical agreement”

between the Kosovo and Albania Minis- ters of Education was signed on 3 June 2014 in Tirana.

The agreement is not only about the uni- fication of the two systems, but also for the curricula and textbooks by starting from pre-school up to high school (grade 12). The main intention is to ensure uni- fication of the curricula framework, core

curricula, textbooks (although not identi- cal ones), etc.

V. Other activities of the “Science Educati- on Programme” in Albania

The Academy of Sciences has organised an Open Day on the “Science Education Programme” for the upper secondary students and the “Scientific Forum” with academicians, professors and researchers from inside and outside Albania.

The TEH Programme Professor Jacques Blamont Advisor to the President, Centre national

d‘études spatiales (CNES), France The TEH (Transformer l’Enseignement en Haïti) was initiated in the wake of the January 2010 earthquake as part of the French programme of relief to help des- troyed schools.

The idea was to produce modules in French, send them to Haiti by satellite links and help Haitian school teachers to assimilate the methods of presentation of the contents.

Immediately, at the first contact with Haitian teachers, it became obvious that the major problem would reside in the differences of culture and language and that we would have to invent a system of transfer of knowledge.

Our objective now is to improve the pedagogy of the teachers by introducing them to the LAMAP method. The basic fact is that at least 80% of the teachers in Haiti have received no training at all or very inadequate training.

We work only in the public education system and our trade is the teaching of fundamental concepts and methods. Fol- lowing the indications of the DEF (Direc- torate of fundamental Teaching, Ministry of National Education and Professorial

Formation), we use as a base the network of the EFACAP (Ecole fondamentale d’Ap- plication - Centre d’Appui Pédagogique).

Each EFACAP is surrounded by about 30 schools and provides complements to the teachers of each school through the help of 3 pedagogic counsellors (CP) per EFACAP.

In the school year 2012-2013, we opera- ted in 11 EFACAP plus 5 schools in Port- au-Prince, with the help of 31 CP. We reached 675 teachers directly in continuous training and 33,750 students indi- rectly.

Our pedagogy follows as mentioned the LAMAP method, an active approach cha- racterised by emphasis on investigation to stimulate scientific reasoning, understanding of the world and capacities of expression. The teacher proposes situations generating investigation to the students and steers their reactions towards reasoned conclusions.

We concentrate on six disciplines: experimental sciences, mathematics, French language, information and communicati- on technologies, health, and school inclu- sion following the official Haitian school programme.

The resources are developed in a joint effort of French specialists collaborating with the CP in iterative loops: one loop between the French developers and the CP, followed by a loop between the CP

(14)

the CPs of the iteration team. The close contact between those drafting the courses and the schoolchildren themselves through the double loop has provided sa- tisfactory results: at the end of the school year 2012-2013, an internal evaluation has shown that our teachers had maste- red 50% of the method after two years of training. These positive results have convinced our sponsor, the BID, not only to continue its support for the 2013-2014 year, but also to pledge to maintain support for the next year.

Lessons that can be drawn are:

1) The political context in Haiti is charac- terised by large governmental instability, with top personnel changing frequently.

Haitian administrative structures lack the financial, human and material resources for fulfilling their part of the project. The Ministry of Education is in particular very short on personnel and also has trouble paying its teachers and administrators regularly. These difficulties reverberate heavily upon cooperative programmes.

They should be considered a part of the project, deserving major attention and work, and not as a nuisance.

2) Financing a project such as TEH, which displays some measure of success, has no difficulty finding sponsors for money to be spent in Haiti. But financing the part spent in the donor country (France in the case of TEH) is extremely hard. Some hope is placed on European funding.

and the classes. Therefore, the contents (partially in Creole language) are adapted to the situation observed in the classrooms.

The training is provided at two levels:

1) To the CP: one introduction each year at the beginning of the year, given to the 33 CP by the French producers of re sources. One group called iteration group is dedicated to supervising and co- producing the contents. Its members are CPs and they communicate on a weekly basis with the French module producers.

We are satisfied to observe that now the members of the iterative group and other CPs have become able to produce their own mo dules by themselves, without French help. The construction of a library of modules is on its way.

2) To the teachers: our real target, 42 sessions of one full day are offered under the leadership of the local CPs at each of our 11 sites. During the week following each session, CPs evaluate the result in classroom, providing the second loop.

The French experts visit classes once or twice a year with CPs in order to observe the benefits to the teacher and to shar- pen the training case by case.

These experts are themselves teachers or pedagogic advisors and are responsible for the conception of the contents used in the programme, in interaction with

3) Training and teaching in developing countries needs mediators, or go-between people (in the case of TEH, the CPs are the mediators). Much effort has to be given to the training, satisfaction, and salary of these mediators.

4) Students have to be taught in their native language and lectures have to be prepared with the intervention of the mediators. These principles lead to the idea that the end of the chain (the children) has to be involved in the design, format and delivery of the lessons. The teachers, when foreign, have to also learn from the people they teach.

Note: The TEH programme is a joint programme between the MNEFP of Haiti on one side and the Academy of Sciences and CNES on the other side.

(15)

National Projects

The Italian National Network of Acade- mies for Education

Professor Francesco Clementi Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei,

University of Milan, Italy

One of the main concerns of the Accade- mia Nazionale dei Lincei is the insufficient literacy of the Italian population regar- ding science and language according to results from the international student and working population assessments. Science education can be achieved through both formal curricula in schools and informal events such as festivals, meetings with scientists, social networks, newspapers etc.

In Italy, several such occasions of science popularisation are organised, even at a good scientific levels, but their impact on science knowledge and appreciation is limited and short-lasting, particularly in areas in which the school curricula are not well implemented. One of the factors that may contribute to this situation is the difficulties of the Italian education system in providing an adequate scientific background and, in particular, in placing science in the context of our cultural hu- manistic heritage. Therefore, the Accade- mia Nazionale dei Lincei, whose mission is “to promote, coordinate, integrate and disseminate scientific knowledge in the context of the unity of culture”, decided that it was time to also take action in the field of science teaching.

The Academy is involved, at the moment, in three projects related to science education: 1) “WHAT TO KNOW? FINDING IT WITH ACCADEMIA DEI LINCEI” in collaboration with Rai Educational (the national broadcasting company) for new information at the frontiers of science, 2) “A DAY WITH THE LINCEI” in collaboration with the local Academies and Universities to stimulate high school students to pursue scientific careers at university level, and 3) the project “A NEW TEACHING FOR A NEW SCHOOL: A NATIONAL NETWORK”

with the aim of offering a new approach to teaching science in schools in Italy. The project is based on simple ideas:

i) A strong and persistent increase in science literacy and comprehension can be achieved only through a modification of science teaching in schools

ii) To improve science education we need to change how teachers teach and to assist them in this task, thus making teachers the targets of the project

iii) Science should be conveyed to students in a way that captures their interest, stimulates their mind and creativity and should be of high quality

iv) Science literacy is not knowledge of more scientific facts but a passage from ignorance to understanding

v) Science teaching should start very early in the school curriculum and continue th-

roughout schools years with a continuum development

vi) Teaching should be based on a laboratory approach, as in IBSE

vii) Science should be placed in the Italian cultural context, and delivered with an appropriate argumentative language viii) The disciplines to focus on are Science (mainly biomedical and chemical aspects), Mathematics and advanced knowledge of Italian language (Table 1); the choice of these three disciplines have been made on the basis of several new findings coming from neuroscience and experimental psy- chology on learning (Heim et al, Frontiers in Evolutionary neurosci, 4,1,2012; Butter- wort and Kovas, Science, 340, 300, 2013) and on the relations and convergences of learning objectives in these disciplines (Stage et al, Science,340, 276, 2013).

After a two-year trial in two centres (Na- ples and Rome), the project has been ex- tended throughout Italy, under an official agreement with the Ministry of Education and teachers‘ associations. The project is organised as a network of Centres, each one based at a local Academy of Science and Literature, which in Italy are numerous and maintain a high scientific standard, and is under the leadership of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, which provides the general organisation and coordination and ensures the scientific validity of local programs as well as the necessary connections with other international and national initiatives with the same purposes.

This year, 12 Centres, covering nearly all the Italian regions, were active in the project (Table 2), involving 1,162 primary and secondary schools, 2,736 student-teachers and approximately 123,000 school Mathematics Laboratory of Mathematics, conceived not only as an equipped class-

room, but also as a moment in which students learn to design and conduct experimental observations on objects, know how to interpret results, formulate simple predictions and hypotheses and logical argu- ments.

Natural Sciences Extend the science teaching approach according to the Inquiry-Based Science Education (IBSE) for primary schools, associated with a modern update on the frontiers of science for secondary schools.

Italian Familiarise students with a broadly argumentative text type (an editorial of a newspaper) or didactic-descriptive (an essay of science, history off science, sociology, etc.). Texts that are functional as a linguistic device for enabling a student to fully understand and write a text of this kind.

Table 1: Outline of the programme of the disciplines

(16)

National Projects

3). The effectiveness of the methods was assessed at the end of each course. The project was welcomed with interest and enthusiasm by school teachers and administrators, and the new methods expe- students in 4,300 classrooms. The 257

teachers delivering the courses were university professors assisted by experien- ced secondary school teachers, and the hours of instruction totaled 1,870 (Table

Location Base Coordinators

Roma Accademia dei Lincei Prof. Giuseppe Macino

Bari Bari-Lecce University, Profs. Giovanni Martelli, Ferdinando Palmieri Bologna Accademia delle Scienze,

Golinelli Foundation Prof. Tommaso Ruggeri, Ing.

Danieli Brescia Catholic and Brescia

Universities, Grazioli Foundation

Profs. Marco De Giovanni, Renzo Piva

Milano Istituto Lombardo Accademia di scienze e lettere, CARIPLO Foundation

Profs. Francesco Clementi, Gianpiero Sironi

Napoli Napoli University, Polo della

Scienza, Stazione Zoologica Prof. Giancarlo Vecchio

Perugia POST Foundation Prof. Giuseppe Macino, Ing. Enrico Tombesi

Pisa Scuola Normale di Pisa Prof. Giuseppina Barsacchi Torino Accademia delle Scienze Prof. Aldo Fasolo

Venezia Istituto Veneto di Scienze

Lettere ed Arti Prof. Gian Antonio Danieli Catania-Messina Catania and Messina

Universities, Verga Foundation Prof. Gabriella Alfieri Future Centres

Basilicata University of Basilicata Profs. Francesco Vitielli, Vincenzo Schettino

Sassari Sassari University Prof. Piero Cappuccinelli Reggio Calabria University for foreigners „Dante

Alighieri“ Luca Serianni

Table 2: Centre distribution in Italy

work in dedicated laboratories for some time; and study interdisciplinary projects focussed on the importance of language in science.

rimented on during the courses were in many instances subsequently applied in the classroom.

In the future, we plan to: transform this project into a more established Science Teaching Programme involving all Italian regions; enhance cooperation among teachers; increase cooperation between high level scientific institutions and schools; prepare training programmes based on laboratory methodology; increase the opportunities for teachers to

Centres No. Prof No.

Courses No.

Hours No.

Teachers No.

Students No.

Schools No.

Classes

Roma 19 20 64 212 10600 141 192

Venezia* 15 19 58 30 1500 29 61

Milano 32 55 868 787 39350 240 645

Brescia 17 12 36 143 7150 64 280

Torino 31 30 44 58 3354 45 125

Bologna 15 6 141 428 21400 185 856

Perugia 17 4 71 120 6450 60 240

Pisa

Napoli** 33 43 345 312 1425 158 624

31 24 71 263 13150 85 526

Bari 34 17 86 193 9650 89 386

Catania 22 15 45 190 9450 72 380

TOTAL 266 245 1829 2736 123479 1162 4315

* No Mathematics | ** No Italian

Table 3: Activity of the Centres in the year 2013-14

(17)

Minor Academy of Sciences of Ukraine:

National Experience of Science Education Development Professor Stanislav Dovgyi President, Minor Academy of Sciences of

Ukraine

The Minor Academy of Sciences of Ukrai- ne (MAcS) is an extracurricular educational system that organises scientific activity for the students, creates conditions for their intellectual, spiritual, and creative development and vocational self-deter- mination, and assists the increase of scientific potential of the country. MAcS is subordinated to the National Aca- demy of Sciences of Ukraine and Minis- try of Education and Science of Ukraine.

25,0000 secondary school students are annually involved in scientific research in 12 subject areas subdivided into 61 sec- tions and guided by 6,500 pedagogues.

The goal of the MAcS of Ukraine is to help promote intelligent, highly educated, so- cially active persons who represent the best achievements of national and international education, science and culture.

Tasks

• to identify, develop and support students who have aptitude to scientific activity;

• to create a favorable environment for talented children of Ukraine;

• to support professional self-determi- nation and creative self-realisation of pupils;

• to facilitate the exchange of experience working with gifted and talented children and youth;

• to promote science education among students and teachers.

Cooperation and partnership

The creation of a platform for commu- nication that serves as an integrated environment for the interaction of researchers, teachers, educators, government officials to unite their efforts in the formation of a young scientists pool became possible due to the building of national and international bridges. As a result, MAcS of Ukraine receives governmental support from the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the National Aca- demy of Sciences of Ukraine, and the Na- tional Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine. Apart from cooperation at the national level with academic institutes, educational establishments, companies and businesses, MAcS of Ukraine colla- borates with international partners such as the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), the Experimental La- boratory for Young People in Goettingen (XLAB), the Argonne National Laboratory, and the Development Centre Opinkir- jo, etc. MAcS is a member of the World Council for Gifted & Talented Children, the European Council for High Ability, the European Association of Institutions of Non-formal Education of Children, and

materials about the organisation of scientific activity for students are pu- blished.

• Members of MAcS of Ukraine parti- cipate in intellectual competitions at the national and international levels (European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS), International Con- ference of Young Scientists (ICYS), International contest Intel ISEF, etc.).

Experience of MAcS of Ukraine

An extensive, integrated, multilevel state system of science education within the framework of MAcS of Ukraine has been formed. It encompasses and integrates all levels of education – from preschool and general education to academic. Education based on research enables the formation of research skills that serve a lifetime.

the Youth and European Association of Neuro-Oncology.

Achievements

• 250,000 children from all over Uk- raine are involved with MAcS by means of participation in the scientific activity in humanities, natural and exact sciences.

• MAcS of Ukraine holds over 40 international and national mass events for children and over 30 national events for teachers annually, focussed on vocational training in multiple fields.

• Scientific research laboratories for students are created and are well equipped. They offer students a model of how to conduct personal research as well as acquire and apply skills.

• Innovative education approaches are launched: educational webinars, online consultations, online experi- ments, etc. In addition, the system offers each student either distant or online access to guidance from scientists for their research projects.

• MAcS of Ukraine bridges the gap between school and university education, creates a unified system of com- munication between schoolteachers and leading scientists, and connects students and leading scientists.

• Members of MAcS of Ukraine received over 100 patents and certifi- cates of copyrights for their scientific innovations.

• Methodical, scientific and analytic